Today’s slow drag is with “Harpies Bizarre,” from “Mighty Like a Rose,” released in 1991. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello’s birthname. Swimming in a caustic sea of the grown-up rendition of guilt and revenge pop songs, “Harpies Bizarre” fits right into to this zeitgeist as it takes the listener through a multi-faceted narrative that exposes secrets, everyone’s secrets, one cutting remark at a time. It does so with all the requisite oblique sort of charm offensive that we’ve come to expect. He selects the plainest face from a spiteful row of girls Elegant insulted women, a [flaw] of cultured pearls He drops a name or two, she fails to catch At last he's met his match Unspoiled and unaffected, he wants her so much With this first verse, the stage isn’t so much set as it is reported from. Casting a visual net over adoring fans, perhaps, our narrator seems as if he’s trawling for a breath of fresh air. Set down in an aa/bbb structure that will flow throughout this piece, words such as “spiteful,” “elegant,” and “insulted” are cunningly used to describe why it’s the “plainest” who is chosen by iterating its opposites, its worn-out encounters. His desire is well justified before it’s rephrased as “unspoiled” and “unaffected.” The “flaw” of cultured pearls presents an eggcorn conundrum to ponder. I’d always assumed the row of spiteful girls was a “floor” of cultured pearls, or, to muddle meanings further, a line of dazzling pearly whites shining back up at him. The difference between a cultured pearl and a natural pearl, so I’ve read, is cultured pearls are more consistent in shape, as they use a tiny bead to begin their formation. Natural pearls, on the other hand, are formed with no “human intervention,” making them pricier due to their rarity, as opposed to their perceived visual beauty. So, where exactly is the “flaw”? Is it in uniformity? The lack of individuality? Ok, I’ve talked myself into “flaw” being the fitting word, although I reserve the right to sing “floor” whenever I choose. This is not the last time we’ll explore this phenomenon in this piece alone. She puts up half-hearted resistance, like she was taught to do She's heard some of those small town playboys, but this is something new His promise seems dangerous, she'd like to believe He says "You'd better leave" "You've only got yourself to blame, shame, or deceive" Showing an encounter from different points of view is something Mr. Costello has always been absolute aces at. We heard about his desires and observations in the first verse, now it’s time to explore her role in one man’s pursuit of distraction. Together, they both seem to be looking for adventure. She’d like to believe there’s danger involved. No better way to feel alive, or so they say. It’s the reason so many like rollercoasters, I suppose. But, then again, the encounter seems to be cut short; there’s only so much novelty we can revel in until the desire for the predictable comes charging back. The admonition is caught in quotes, so we know “you’ve only got yourself to blame, shame, or deceive” is directly outward, not inward. More fun and games, it seems. And, yes. Here’s the second eggcorn I promised. Is it “she’s heard” or “she’s hurt” some of those small-town playboys? The liner notes read “heard,” but look how well both fit. It should be more surprising, but it isn’t, that each slot in perfectly and create their own flow chart of emotions. The official word is “heard,” but I’ve always been partial to “hurt.” Maybe I enjoy a bit of danger myself. Just as a side note, there’s another piece on this album called “All Grown Up,” that could easily be the continuation of this woman’s story. “And you hate all the people that you used to adore” seems to fit in well with the notion of a mis-matched power dynamic of a brief encounter, I think. I love listening to them back-to-back for this reason. The waiting lines are long They never get too far Everyone wearing that medal with pride Harpies Bizarre So, we now come to this; the beautifully stubborn title and how it is positioned within the piece. Waiting lines and medals. I’m intrigued by the seeming tautology of “waiting line.” By definition it seems as if a line can only be created by those who wait. And what is the medal? A backstage pass, perhaps? These lines quickly give away, however, to the provocative mingling of the words “harpies” and “bizarre.” They create two divergent paths that will eventually meet up again within this coupling. “Harpies” are from Greek mythology, of course, meaning “swift robbers.” Often depicted as bird women, they are manifested from sudden, intense storm winds that carried people away. “Beware of the sharp winds that travel at alarming speeds through the night. With them come the hounds of Zeus to punish evildoers.” In short, a destructive force that inspires “fear and terror.” This seems to mimic the posture of the “spiteful row of girls” well. Combining the word “Harpies” with “bizarre,” meaning odd, which of course is the homophone of bazaar, meaning marketplace, creates another allusion to explore; that being the fashion periodical, “Harper’s Bazar.” The magazine was first published in November, 1867, with a masthead that read, “repository of fashion, pleasure, and instruction.” This boastful parallel structure includes the brilliant Oxford comma, which I am forever a great fan of. To be immersed in the culture and ideas of the moment, the magazine implied, was how to truly be “fashionable.” “Harper’s Bazaar” eventually became “HarperCollins Publishing.” The magazine itself remains focused on fashion, in particular, American fashion. Stitching it all together creates a vivid tapestry of sensuality and sexuality with an ever-looming threat, and whatever else your big brain and heart come up with. Two words is all it took to launch these many interpretations. I looked on but hesitated, I failed to interrupt You're so hard to tell the truth to, so easy to corrupt I'll memorize your face, your tragic smile The hurt look in your eyes As you betrayed yourself to the part of him that dies Hesitated and interrupt, truth and corrupt. As I’ve mentioned many times before, it’s his economy of words that deserve more attention. Nearly opposites but not quite, each word bounces off the other one with absolute precision. Before we get much further, let’s take a moment to marvel at how, within three verses, Mr. Costello is able to use seven pronouns: he, him, she, her, you, your, and I. Everyone it seems is taken into account. The first verse is for him, the second for her, and now “I” has a say. Cleverly, the next verse, an extended chorus, really, addresses the “they” in this situation, bringing the pronoun count to eight. Notice here first, however, the “I” sees the hurt look in the first person, yet then uses clear distancing language when referring to “the part of HIM that dies.” Even if revenge is tempered, there’ll always be a bit of guilt that spills over the sides, I suppose. The waiting lines are long They never get too far They're shining up their shoes to kick a falling star You think you should be somebody But you don't know who you are Everyone wearing that medal with pride Harpies Bizarre The ambiguity of who the “you” in this extended chorus is proves to be the perfect way to wrap up this narrative. Is it him, her, or both? Second person or third person? Shoes and kick. A star, calling back to the first verse where I imagined a stage. There’s brutality, shame, and indecision coursing through this exquisite piece. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Harpies Bizarre” from 1991’s “Mighty Like a Rose.” It’s an ambitious piece that brings fashion and fury together. It confides intimate details, but then accepts no responsibility. It’s use of pronouns adds an extra layer of ingenuity to the already staggering two-word title that creates a cyclone around each line. It feels as if there is nothing left to chance, not even the lingering eggcorns of flaw/floor, heard/hurt. Not to mention, I’m still puzzling over how so many acerbic songs on one single album are able to bring such joy, but I think you’d agree, they certainly do. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “Mighty Like a Rose” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 5, “Heaven Knows What Fills the Heart,” a slow drag with “Georgia and Her Rival,” episode 34, “Lost Legs and Fingernails,” a slow drag with “Invasion Hit Parade,” episode 50, “Sharp and Ideal,” a slow drag with “After the Fall,” and episode 71, “Across a Crowded Room,” a slow drag with “Sweet Pear.” So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Harpies Bizarre”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Harpies_Bizarre “Harpies Bizarre”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW0-7Kbo5rU “150 Years of Harper’s Bazaar” https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a18658/history-of-harpers-bazaar/ “Cultured Pearls vs. Real Pearls” https://www.pearlsofjoy.com/blogs/blog/real-pearls-vs-cultured-pearls “Natural vs. Cultured Pearls: Everything You Need to Know” https://www.diamonds.pro/guides/natural-vs-cultured-pearls/ “Harpyiai” https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Harpyiai.html “Harpy” https://mythology.net/monsters/harpy/ Comments are closed.
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AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |